Chapter 56

I am registered, so I finished production and consignment at the fast transfer gate and came to the Adventurer's Guild.

I wanted to raise the [Jewelry] skill, but the circulation of gems is limited in Zears, and silver, which seems suitable for accessories, is currently in short supply due to fierce competition.

I'll stock up on materials when I go to Ail later.

Being able to instantly go to the transfer gate from anywhere in the city is convenient and wonderful, more so than free movement. However, I can't stop exploring alleys, so I don't use the 'Transfer' function in the city unless I have an appointment.

"Al, don't you collect information about other countries here?"

The scent of tea wafted through the slightly dry room. I asked Al while searching for the description of the information I wanted.

I'm in Al's data organization room in the data room. A chocolate cake with orange peel and tea.

I prepared it, but I didn't expect that eating and drinking while reading in the data room would be allowed.

"Information about the country's situation will be confiscated if it's too detailed. We are always looking for information about monsters."

"But the information about monsters might break a small system of the guild, you know?"

"If it's the Adventurer's Guild, we will select it. Although the publication is restricted by Zears' policy, we do collaborate with guilds in other countries."

"Hmm, the Sea Serpent of the maritime nation Fagat is said to be extremely weak to poison."

"You bring quite a lot of bombs, don't you?"

Al stopped the cup of tea he was about to bring to his mouth and looked at me.

"Is that so?"

"It's quite established, you know. It's even a condition for B-rank promotion and an event."

"Well, we can't just pour poison into the sea, so it's probably fine as it is."

"Maybe you have poison magic?"

"Nope?"

"What about the skin of the Sea Serpent?"

"I have it."

"I'll pay you for a few pieces."

"Then I'll take the right to have tea here."

He said it in a very serious and dramatic way while handing over the Sea Serpent skin.

"O.K."

Al laughed and took it.

"I'll have a pharmacist friend check if the poison works."

"Will the skin do?"

"Yeah, I think it will. Since it's extreme, I don't think it's about the blood flow or digestion."

"I see."

"Thank you. There are few adventurers who voluntarily bring knowledge, so I'd be happy if you bring more."

Al gave me a partner card!

I left the data room after entrusting some baked goods to Al for the receptionist. I couldn't help but think, "Isn't my partner card exchange mostly with men?" but I couldn't get involved in a receptionist competition.

A red-haired ponytailed receptionist noticed me coming down the stairs and gave a nod, which I returned. Her name was Nana, I think.

There is a theory that the guild intentionally places many single women at the reception to provide a meeting place for the predominantly male adventurers and to get them used to talking to women, which would help them be less rough when talking to the surrounding residents.

However, the current majority of adventurers are players, and they seem to be young girls. In fact, there are men loitering around the counter today, and there are also young girls mixed in. I shouldn't think about the gender of the players, but that's how it is.

Even so, many men stare at the counter, wondering if there are any shortcuts or if their eyes will meet with the receptionist. A group of men who target the receptionist with the largest chest get excited every time it jiggles.

These guys have guts, don't they?

I'm thinking of presenting the books I got in Ail to an old bookshop, but if I go now, I might get so engrossed in reading that I forget the meeting time, so I'll do it later.

I'll check if Julius' staff is ready and participate in the knight training.

When I ordered it, I didn't realize there would be such a big difference in level, and I ordered a staff for levels 30 to 40.

Even if it's ready, I can't equip it, so I prepared a magic stone to enhance its abilities. The enhancements are INT and MID.

I plan to show the staff and decide which to attach, then leave it again. I'll refine Christina's magic stone a bit more and see if I can use it for the next staff.

"Hello"

"Oh, Homura-san"

A smile like a blooming flower.

Julius is the most delicate and cute person I know in this world, except for the Goddess of Misfortune. It's not that he's a boy, but he's at an age where he doesn't give off a gender, or something. I'll stop there before I start thinking dangerously.

"I'm sorry, but the staff isn't ready yet. I'm trying to get the materials through my father's connections, but it's not going as smoothly as I'd like."

That's right, it's not just the level, but I should also consider that high-ranking materials are not readily available in this country.

"No, I was the one who didn't know much about production and asked for something unreasonable. I only brought a ruby, so I couldn't help much with the materials. If you get stuck with the materials, please let me know."

"Yes."

"By the way, what materials are needed for the staff?"

"Gems, magic stones, and wood are the main ones. Other than that, we use metals that are compatible with magic and materials from monsters."

"What kind of materials from monsters?"

"Crystals and horns. I hear that materials dropped by monsters that use magic or attribute skills are compatible with magic."

"I see."

Maybe Polyps in Zears? I have a bitter memory of being chased and running around by fire.

"It seems the wood is the problem."

"If it's a large one, we can use horns or bones as the core."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm not at a high level yet, so take your time."

It seems Julius has been practicing with what he can get while waiting for the materials. He showed me several staffs. Although they were of low rank, many were highly rated, and while the design was not ornate, they were well-balanced and beautifully crafted in detail.

I think I've met a hardworking and dedicated staff maker.

Now, the knight training.

I just realized that if you receive training, your [Swordsmanship] and [Katana] skills will always increase by 1. Maybe it would have been better to receive it after reaching a high level, at least after the skill level reached 30. It's too late now that I've already registered.

The last training partner, Neks, uses a thrusting sword.

Not only can it thrust, but it can also slash, but Neks is good at avoiding and thrusting into the opponent's weak points. The gaps in armor, the joints like wrists and knees, the throat, if you even slightly neglect your distance or defense, a thrust will come.

Especially when I attack, he counters by avoiding and thrusting while stepping in, and his feints are subtle, just moving his eyes.

In a way, I rely on speed from equipment, but Neks seems to predict and even guide my actions.

That's me, my base abilities are high due to corrections, but I'm just a regular person.

I had a thorough training session until my EP was depleted.

It's a skill that might not be necessary against monsters, but since I'm swinging a sword, I want to train it.

Being at EP 0 is exhausting.

I thanked Neks and dragged my heavy body to the side to serve tea. I remember that being at EP 0 imposes a penalty of one-tenth of the movement speed.

If left at EP 0, MP will decrease, and at MP 0, the status will be reduced to three-quarters. Then HP will decrease, and eventually, it will be off to the temple. I should eat something before that happens, so I drink tea while thinking about it.

"Can I have some tea?"

As expected, Neks came.

"Sure."

I poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.

"Hmm, this is delicious. I've been avoiding it because I thought it had a slightly muddy taste, unlike coffee."

"It might have been old tea leaves."

"I see."

We drank tea for a while and watched the training together.

"Are you a specialist in monsters?"

"For now, yes."

"Maybe you should occasionally fight against people. If it's difficult, try using feints and guiding movements against monsters you can easily defeat. I've heard of intelligent monsters in this country, but it's good to practice."

"I see. I heard I can come here five times, but can I come occasionally if I pay?"

"There's no one-on-one instruction, but I'll accept you."

"Thank you, I'll come occasionally."

[Training at the Knight Training Ground is complete]

[Please choose one of the following skills]

[Formation - Attack] Slightly increase the attack power of the entire party and alliance

[Formation - Defense] Slightly increase the defense power of the entire party and alliance

[Two-Handed] 1.1 times damage when using a two-handed sword

[Dual Wield] Ability to use a one-handed sword in both hands simultaneously

[Way of the Sword] Easier to develop a sense of swordplay

I chose [Way of the Sword].

Given that I have been relying on [Martial Arts] and [Evasion], I couldn't help but choose it. [Dual Wield] is also tempting.

There is also [Dual Swords], so I'll look forward to it. While [Dual Wield] allows the use of different weapons in each hand, [Dual Swords] only allows the use of the same type of sword, but with [Weapon Hold], it's fine.

Leo, Peter, and Kikuhime logged in one after another.

I should move to Faina soon. I want to sightsee!

I quietly entered an uninhabited back alley and used 'Transfer'.

There were no players in Faina's temple.

Perhaps few have defeated the Water Polyp. If it's like the Fire Polyp, the backline needs to increase their defense as well as the tank, and the healer needs to be careful not to fall.

It seems to be a tough enemy unless there are multiple recovery methods, like the Foss Deidrizzards.

I didn't feel anyone else's presence and went outside.

You can't use the transfer gate without defeating the Water Polyp. Since carriage travel is possible, there might be people gathered in the square.

I already obtained the skill for accessory making that I planned to get in Faina. I'm not sure, but I think the gemstones for materials are more abundant in Ail.

I was excited about the presence of dwarves, but it seems that many of the dwarves living here are skilled in forging, not jewelry.

I don't plan to obtain forging skills for now, leaving it to Ruba. It seems fun, but I don't have the skill points!

Why did I take [Slash] when I'm not using it? I've regretted it many times. It seems that normal swordsmen take [Slash] and branch out into various skills. If you use it, you can obtain various types of skills depending on the situation and usage, but I haven't branched out at all.

Forging, like my alchemy, is said to branch out based on the profession. It seems that forging changes depending on whether STR or VIT is higher, not just the profession.

For swordsmen, weapon forging branches out when STR > VIT or STR = VIT, and armor forging when STR < VIT. The initial values differ by 1 depending on the race, but the initial status points that can be freely allocated determine the outcome. Even if it doesn't appear at first, it will branch out if you make several of the same type, but it's quite difficult.

From there, it seems to further branch out into sword forging, dagger forging, and so on. It seems that you can make a wide range of weapons and then specialize.

The shops between the capital's temple and the guild are large, and it's not interesting to just walk by and look. You can go into the shops, but I hesitate to do so since I have no intention of buying anything for now. In the end, I spent time in the alleys lined with various stalls, including food stalls.

There are many types of ingredients, but the food from the stalls is quite strong in flavor.

In Fast, there were few, or rather only one, stalls selling beer, but there are many here. I remember the story that the Moss Commercial Guild Leader has a near monopoly on alcohol in the capital.

The strong flavor is not only due to the many physical laborers but also to match the beer. Sweat depletes the body's salt, and beer increases potassium. If potassium and sodium are not balanced, the cell osmotic pressure... well, anyway, drinking beer makes you want salt. I guess the customers find it unsatisfying if it's not salty enough.

I'm not a physical laborer, or rather, is a magic swordsman a physical laborer? Anyway, I don't sweat, and I don't drink beer. The food from the stalls here is enough in one dish.

It's dangerous, I want to eat food made by others, but my own cooking suits me better. I want to go back to the inn in Fast. The innkeepers will surely improve their cooking skills if I provide them with ingredients.

The restaurants in Ail are in a different league, but they are so good that they might go bankrupt.

I bought the bucket in Saa.

I bought the ceramics in Foss.

I just saw Garganos' work in Navi Grande, so there are no designs that attract me for accessories.

To be honest,

The impression of the capital Faina is not so good due to the story I heard from the Commercial Guild Leader, the rain on my first arrival which prevented me from enjoying the view from the gondola, and the subsequent visit to the forested capital of Ail and the sun-drenched Navi Grande, which left different impressions.

It might be normal to spend a few days in the capital after liberating it to level up and raise the adventurer rank. I immediately returned without liberating the city after defeating the boss, and my stay after liberation was very short. I moved on to the next place without getting used to this city.

I think this is a distortion, but I don't regret it.

Spending time with Galahad and the others is fun, and I regret not being able to keep up with the Labyrinth City due to my lack of skills. When I heard the announcement of the liberation of the Labyrinth by the Flame King, I felt a burning sensation for a moment. But now, I don't regret training alone to improve my abilities.

I might regret it if I only have high levels and no skills, or if I force Galahad to come and do my job by using the partner card to defeat nearby enemies.

Fortunately, thanks to the Sea Serpent, I've improved in various ways, so I might be able to follow if there's another opportunity.

Ah.

I need to raise [Stealth] before then. I'll definitely be teased by Galahad and Camilla!

No, wait, how high do I need to raise it? 30 is definitely not enough.

Please wait until I can hide [Bedroom Skills] completely!!

□ □ □ □ □

・Increase・

Skill

[Way of the Sword]

□